Publication year

Recent UN data indicate that Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) could, in the long term, benefit from the so called demographic dividend. But for this economic potential to be fulfilled certain conditions have to be met.

Colombia is moving closer to achieving peace with the central FARC-command, after president Santos won the second round of the presidential elections. Meanwhile, the economy is booming, presenting both challenges and opportunities.

According to Statistics Netherlands’ second estimate, the size of the Dutch economy shrunk by 0.6% q-o-q over the first quarter of 2014 (compared with 1.4% in the first estimate). The first quarter’s contraction is mostly the result of temporary factors.

On Thursday 5 June, the European Central Bank cut its official rates to the lowest level ever and the deposit interest rate is now actually negative. Granted, the drop was only 0.10%, but it still represents an important move into uncharted territory.

In 14Q1, GDP volume fell again after only one quarter of growth in more than two years. Private consumption, however, did increase for the first time since 2010. Underlying data suggest the economy will muddle through during the rest of the year.